Chicago School News

Scores for Chicago Public School students are recovering faster since the pandemic than most school districts in the country. Researchers at Harvard University’s Center for Education Policy Research and Stanford University’s Educational Opportunity Project found that Illinois has led the nation in reading growth between 2022 and 2023 and is just one of four states to return to pre-pandemic achievement levels.

Chicago made these gains by using federal COVID relief funds to increase staff at 230 schools. The new personnel were hired to work with students one-on-one or in small groups providing tutoring in reading and math. Summer programs were also expanded. State test data show that Chicago students are catching up but still remain below pre-pandemic levels.

With the federal COVID relief funding running out later this year, Chicago schools are looking at a $391 million dollar shortfall for the next school year. We still don’t know what plans the Chicago Board of Education has for making up this deficit.

On February 22, 2024, after a long meeting, the Chicago Board of Education passed a resolution requiring the district to develop a new safety model that doesn’t include police inside schools. The district has until June 27 to develop the plan.